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New to an Exhibit Hall experience? Here are 7 hot tips on getting the most of your Exhibit Hall experience:

1. Get there early! Exhibitors love to see you and we sometimes don’t take full advantage of their available time.
2. Make a “scouting trip” – walk through once and make some notes about who you want to talk with.
   
3. Plan ahead – our exhibitors offer “show specials” available only during the event (or for a very limited time). Meet with your staff about your purchasing needs. Come prepared to buy to get the best deals and support our exhibitors (as they support our event and our organization).
   
4. Make appointments for longer discussions. Want to discuss multiple purchases or a larger project? Please make a plan with the exhibitor to meet at a less busy time so you both get the most out of your interactions.
   
5. Bring your business cards and be prepared to share them. This saves everyone time.
   
6. Register for door prizes – there’s sweet swag out there and you need to be in on that action!
   
7. Express gratitude. Our exhibitors keep the cost for our event down. Please thank them for attending, even if you don’t need to do business with them right now.
   

Last month annual conference staff leaders in camp and retreat ministry from around the country came together for three days of learning, sharing and peer fellowship. Conference executives gathered for this annual meeting at the peaceful Indianola Camp on the west side of Puget Sound in the Pacific Northwest Conference. 

 

The focused education piece included discussion of Seven Levers: Missional Strategies for Conferences by Robert Schnase.  Rev. Curtis Brown, Director of Faith Community Development for the Pacific Northwest Conference, facilitated the conversation looking at connections between camp and retreat ministry and congregational development. Curtis, a strong supporter of camp and retreat ministry, named that congregational development and camping come together through leadership development and that discipleship happens with multiple settings working together. Camp and retreat ministry must be involved in the collaborative ministries. It was shared that it is vital for camp and retreat ministries to have a way to track leadership development in its alumni (and staff alumni) – such as individuals emerging as clergy.  Suggestions of software tools to do this included Salesforce, KarmaCRM, and Little Green Light.

 

Curtis advocated for camp and retreat ministries to continue to build strong connections with ministries focusing on faith community development.  Are we equipping “Missional Strategists”? A strong benefit of camping is that it generates new volunteers and does not just “consume” volunteers. Curtis suggested that camp/retreat centers offer all church planters the opportunity to spend a free week at their site in personal spiritual retreat every year. This provides planters with much needed time away from their ministry communities for personal and spiritual renewal, and frequently develops loyalty and commitment to the camp/retreat center by that pastor, wherever s/he is appointed. 

Board members and staff from the UMCRM Association and Discipleship Ministries were on hand to share about recent initiatives and to collect feedback on priorities and strategic plans.

 

Discussion of current topics and strategies in United Methodist Camp and Retreat Ministry happened in formal and informal conversations through the three-day meeting. There was also dedicated time for spiritual reflection and personal renewal. For the closing dinner the group took a ferry across the Sound to Seattle to enjoy a casual evening in the city.

 

Thank you to Darin Gemmer, Director, and Indianola staff for their warm hospitality and faithful service!

Laurie Day is Assistant Director of Mission & Ministry for the Rocky Mountain Annual Conference. One of  the many hats she wears is Camp & Retreat Ministry Executive. She is a native of Idaho, a graduate of the Iliff School of Theology, and a Camp Sawtooth alumna.

Today's Generation of Youth

Those who provide ministry for and with youth have spent much energy and study trying to understand this generation that we call the “Millennials.” The Millennials are the most-researched generation in history. We know what makes them tick. We know what draws them in and drives them forward. Many of our youth ministries, including camping, provide experiences and opportunities that hit the sweet spot of everything that a Millennial wants. So why is it that participation in youth ministries like camping has been in a steady decline over the past ten to fifteen years? 

One of the many big factors in this phenomenon is the fact that the Millennials who we have been working so hard to market to are no longer youth. The Millennial generation, aging from 20 to 37 years old, has reached adulthood and are becoming our adult staff and camper parents. The new demographic of Generation Z, ages 19 and under, are today’s youth. And there is a large difference between the attitudes, goals, and culture of Millennials and Generation Z. Check out this infographic by Sparks & Honey, from Marketo Blog, which highlights some features of this new generation and their views of the world.

Brought to you by Marketing Automation Software by Marketo

As camping leaders it is important to understand what drives, motivates, and inspires each generation because although an outsider may think that we serve mainly youth, we know that our constituents don't stop with the youth who participate in our programs. We also have to market to parents, partner with clergy, inspire volunteers, and connect with alumni. Some deeper generational understanding might just be the key to effectively reaching new people in ministry.

Jessica Gamaché currently serves the church through her position as Camping Coordinator in the Western Pennsylvania Annual Conference. She was inspired to share this infographic and reflections with the UMCRM community. We hope you'll share the articles, books, and resources that are inspiring and challenging you in your ministry, as well. Email any time to info@umcrm.org.

Editors’ note: We recently welcomed Trinity/HPSI as a Business Affiliate Member of the UMCRM Association. They currently serve 103 of our United Methodist camps & retreat centers, and would be glad to talk with you about how they might partner with your ministry, too. Plan to chat with Rod at their booth in our Exhibit Hall at the National Gathering, or contact Steve directly at the email listed below.

We at Trinity/HPSI are eager to highlight some of the ways you can save dollars to use in your ministry to reach people for our Lord. For those who are unfamiliar with our program, here is a brief explanation of why you might be over-paying for some of the goods you use most often, and how our organization works within that system so you stop getting the “short end of the stick.”

Our experience has shown that foodservice represents the greatest recurring purchase expenditure for most camps and conference centers, much greater than most other recurring purchase categories. Consequently, even though greater percentage savings may be found in other areas, foodservice usually offers the largest and most easily achieved savings opportunity, typically amounting to 10 to 20% off normal “street” pricing. We are pleased to have been able to help many United Methodist camps & retreat centers realize that level of savings or more.

A “street” account, historically the predominant structure with all broadline foodservice companies as well as most distributors in other industries, allows the sales representative to set pricing at his/her discretion anywhere above a defined base cost level that s/he can get the customer to order. We have often heard of representatives with less than full integrity who “low-balled” pricing initially to “get a foot in the door”, then let prices drift up over time as the customer became loyal and trusting and the representative thought s/he wouldn’t notice. In one extreme case our program brought a 35% savings opportunity for a camp.

A “program” account (also called a contract or multi-unit or national account), as in the Trinity/HPSI structure, usually has a couple of service level options, with one being just like a “street” account, except for the very significant benefit that the sales representative has no ability to increase or control prices. Instead, the specified pricing structure is applied by the foodservice distributor’s computer system to each program customer’s account.

Two main factors result in the substantial savings opportunity of a program vs. a street foodservice account. The first is “deviations”, or allowances that have been negotiated with many manufacturers based on the tremendous aggregate volume of the organizations (under HPSI, more than 14,000) included in the overall program. Deviations serve to lower the distributor’s ultimate net cost and reduce the invoice price. On a periodic basis the distributor claims and receives reimbursement from the manufacturers for the deviations that have been passed through to the program customers. Not all items have deviations; they are much more common on processed foods than on commodity items. Some deviations are modest, while others can be dramatic, such as those for liquid eggs, paper goods and trash liners.

The second factor is simply an attractive pre-negotiated margin schedule that is applied to the distributor’s actual purchase cost including freight to their warehouse. Additional factors contributing to the program savings opportunity can include delivery size and prompt payment incentives and rebates.

The cost of propane is often second to foodservice as a recurring expense for camps and conference centers and sometimes, especially in the northern United States, is even greater than the cost of foodservice. Propane prices vary widely. On rare occasions we have found camps that have pricing roughly in line with our national account pricing. At the other extreme, we have had reports of savings of $2.00 per gallon and more, and those savings can be achieved with a brief telephone call if your current propane supplier is one of our national account partners. If a transition from the current supplier needs to be made, the national account partners provide tanks with no rental charge, and in many cases there is no charge for delivering and setting up tanks.

Many other agreements are available for everything from paint, office supplies, mattresses, maintenance supplies, and sporting goods to credit/debit card processing services, first aid supplies, kitchen equipment and much more. Whatever the purchase category, however, we recommend that each camp/conference center consider each area individually and do whatever is best for your ministry. You may have a friend of your ministry who is sacrificing a reasonable profit margin to sell at a level that is better than national account pricing; or s/he may be selling to you at “street” prices, then donating $10,000 or $50,000 per year to your scholarship fund. Only you can solve that value equation and determine what is best for your ministry.

For help with any questions left unanswered or to request a complimentary analysis to identify your savings opportunities, please feel free to visit www.trinity-usa.net or to contact us at 615-672-0229 or steve.claypool@trinity-usa.net.

The Inside Scoop on InsideOut

Guest Post by Crys Zinkiewicz

As a fellow United Methodist and the Editor and Project Manager for the ecumenical curriculum InsideOut: Christian Resources for Outdoor Ministries, I thought you might like the inside scoop on its development and scope. 

Some of you will have been familiar with predecessor camping resources developed by the National Council of Churches. But a couple of years ago the time had come to make significant changes to our summer camp curriculum offerings. My former colleague from the Youth Resources Unit of The United Methodist Publishing House, Jenny Youngman, was tapped to lead the design team, which included United Methodists and representatives from several other mainline denominations, in creating a fresh approach. The result is the DVD-ROM- based InsideOut, published by Chalice Press.

The team planned a four-year sequence that ensures returning campers will explore the fullness of God, who they are created to be, and what they are called to do.

Youngman edited Year 1, All Things New: Look What God Is Doing, for the 2013 camping season. When she moved on to pursue other callings, I picked up the role of Editor and Project Manager. I had served in curriculum development at The United Methodist Publishing House for 31 years, so this assignment fit my skills and also reconnected me with my own church camp experiences, which were formative for my faith and life.  

As I jumped into working on 2014’s Year 2, Get Real: Finding Your True Self in Jesus, I found myself working in a rich ecumenical environment. The writers and reviewers (including some of you) were from various faith traditions: United Methodist, Episcopal, Disciples of Christ, Presbyterian, United Church of Christ, and Church of the Brethren. In 2014 we also introduced a way to use those great stories of Jesus in a day camp setting as well as residential camp.

Year 3 is based, logically, on the Holy Spirit. Tracey Brown, one of the returning writers from the previous year and a United Methodist Camp Director (Potosi Pines, in Nevada), confessed she was a bit intimidated with the theme. But the design team did an excellent job of choosing scriptures that put the focus on the action of the Holy Spirit in lives and how campers can live in God’s Spirit. Tracey later affirmed that, after working with the passages and activities, she is truly excited. Power Up! Living in the Spirit is ready now for you to look over as you plan for your 2015 camping season. We trust you too will see exciting possibilities.

When you explore the resource, which you can easily do with a free sampler from ChristianCampResources.com, you’ll see clearly Chalice Press’s commitment to serve the ministry of camping. The first year’s DVD-ROM provided 215 pages of material; Power Up! has over 350--including new sections, expanded training tools, and a more functional day camp resource! Chalice also helps to connect the camping community as additional resources to one another--even in the middle of camp--through social media.

Year 4, 2016, seems a long way off; but the new Editor, Rev. Erin Reed Cooper, has been at work with the new season's writers, building on the planning of the design team around the theme of the church and its mission in the world. Fearless Faith promises to be yet another great resource for a camp experience that changes campers from the inside out.

Here are a few things you can do to get ready for 2015:

Get your free Power Up! sampler.

Like our Facebook page  (www.facebook.com/InsideOutChurchCampResources).

Order the Power Up! DVD-ROM for your camp.

Learn more at ChristianCampResources.com.

Crys Zinkiewicz is a Christian educator with a long and varied career in the ministry of curriculum development. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee, where she finds balance in continued editorial work and more opportunities to be outdoors enjoying God’s great creation.

Just a step away from the camp there is a hidden trail running way down into the woods. I like to take a walk there before important programs and events, or just at the end of a working day, when I feel like doing my devotionals. And oftentimes in a very special manner God reveals himself to me to the utmost. In spirit I call this place the ‘road to Emmaus.’

- Erina Efremova, Camp Crystal Director

How many of us could say similar things about the camps and retreat centers we serve? Providing opportunities for deeply moving encounters with God, with God’s people and with Creation is why we do what we do. It’s been my experience that after years and decades of these encounters, the physical space has a “spiritual residue,” becomes a “thin place” where God’s presence can be felt even by those who aren’t seeking it. The ministries we serve become sanctuaries for the people we serve in the fullest sense of the word.

So I was excited for my recent opportunity to visit Camp Crystal, which serves as sanctuary for the United Methodists of the Eurasia Conference. Members of the Eurasia conference, and United Methodist ministry partners from around the world, gathered in August to celebrate the 125th Anniversary of United Methodism in Russia. Our conference (North Georgia) has established a mission “bridge” with the Methodist seminary and churches in the Moscow area, and I was able to attend the celebration as a representative of that relationship.

Camp Crystal is located deep in the Russian state forest outside of Voronezh on the banks of the slow-moving Usmanka River. The land and buildings were once a camp for workers at a state-owned factory in nearby Voronezh. When it became available for sale in the 1990’s, donations gathered by Sunday school children of German United Methodist churches enabled its purchase by the Eurasia conference. The pride and hopes our Eurasian brothers and sisters have for their camp is as palpable as the sense of sanctuary it offers.

The camp has a capacity of 300. The main building has 120 beds on three floors with different layouts and amenities. The site also includes a variety of cottages. The dining center serves meals family-style and has a meeting room to accommodate large groups. Other breakout meeting spaces are available. Activities offered include volleyball, table tennis, swimming, and canoeing. Facilities are closed each winter.

Each summer Crystal offers a variety of camp programs. There is a youth camp whose purpose is to introduce campers to Christian discipleship; a camp for children with physical disabilities called “Camp Trinity”; an annual women’s conference, and “Tres Dias” faith renewal seminar. Volunteers from across the Conference support these programs with their prayers, their presence, their gifts, their service, and their witness.

Volunteers are important to any camp and retreat center, and the same is true at Crystal. The facilities appear to have been built in the 1950’s and, for the most part, have not yet had significant renovation. While we were there we met a team of 16 from the Baltimore-Washington Conference spending three weeks building facilities, relationships, and memories. Their conference has been sending work teams to the camp for years through a covenant agreement with the Black Soil District, which includes Crystal.

I found our Russian United Methodist brothers and sisters to be warm and welcoming, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time there. Camp Crystal welcomes mission teams and visitors. I encourage you to get in touch with them through their page on the Eurasia Conference website: http://www.umc-eurasia.ru/en/cristalleng.

C. Russell Davis is the Associate Director of Connectional Ministries responsible for Camp and Retreat Ministries in the North Georgia Annual Conference.

“Have you scrubbed out the inside of the garbage cans?”

“No…should I have?”

“I don’t know. Probably. Yes. Yes we should.”

With a deep sigh, I pushed myself up off the dock and began walking from the waterfront to the dining hall. It was my first summer working at a camp. For the most part, it had been a great experience. The kids were great. The programs were fun. Having the chance to lead worship each night was both challenging and rewarding.

But this week was different. This week Nancy was coming.

Nancy Deaner was the Coordinator for Camp & Retreat Ministries, which was an impressive title to me as a 20 year-old, but more important was the reputation that seemed to precede her. All of us new staff struggled to grasp the gravity of the situation. It seemed similar to the first day of middle school, when the older kids tell you a long list of inflated horror stories about your teachers, to try to get you to worry.

The same appeared true here. The returning staff told us how immaculate camp must be and how we were not to speak to Nancy unless directly asked a question. Better yet, find a task that took you out of the equation and removed you from her general proximity. It would likely be better to double check the air pressure in all the basketballs than to say something that would get us all fired.

So as I scrubbed out the last garbage can, I was both exhausted and afraid of what was to come. Was this lady really going to come in here and fire everyone? I really need this job. I’m a college student. I suppose I could eat ramen a little more often to make ends meet but…

It was in the midst of this inner debate that I was interrupted by a returning staffer who told me through gritted teeth, “Nancy is here. And she wants to meet with all of us.”

Here it comes. The end. My camp counseling life flashed before my eyes as I walked down the hill to the benches arranged by the waterfront.

I nervously sat down with the rest of the staff and was confused by what I saw. Here was Nancy. With a smile on her face, she warmly asked us how the summer was going. After some sharing of the best moments of our summers, she thanked us for the work we were doing and encouraged us to continue to do the same for the remainder of the summer.

And that was it. She walked the camp for a few hours taking pictures of the beautiful areas of camp; not pressing to find the areas of fault every camp has. She was interested in seeing all that we were doing right, and was eager to see the smiles on the campers' faces.

Fast forward...a college degree, a marriage, and a kid later, I was now a Camp Manager. Once again I was set to work with Nancy Deaner, but this time she was my boss. Thankfully I now knew her heart for camp ministry. I had come to understand her desire to see these places become more than just tents and campfires, but thriving places apart where kids and adults could experience God’s love every day of every summer.

As I worked with Nancy for the next eight years, I began to respect and admire her dedication to this good work more and more. In retrospect, the moments I am most grateful for were not the seasons of abundance and excitement. Anyone can do well in those moments. I was thankful for Nancy most when times were difficult.

We have all had those moments. Something happens that shouldn’t. An accident that seems insurmountable in the moment. Or just a difficult decision that must be made to improve the long-term health of the ministry. I watched as Nancy faced them all with grace and level-headed reason. And in the cases when I was directly involved, I knew that no matter how panicked I was on my end of the telephone, Nancy would be calm and pragmatic on her end, and together we could we walk through the steps to rectify the situation. Were it not for her calming approach, I likely would have left this ministry many years ago.

And so when Nancy announced her retirement about a year ago, I was uneasy. What would happen the next time I needed to call her cell phone in the midst of a mess? What would happen when we gathered at a meeting and didn’t have her voice of reason? What would happen when she wasn’t there to steer this big ship and keep it from all the potential rocks lurking just below the surface?

As I thought about these questions more though, I realized the most important thing Nancy had done during her long time in Camp & Retreat Ministry. It wasn’t the kind smile she brought to camp in the midst of a stressful July. It wasn’t the countless unknown discussions she had as an advocate for the value of camp. It wasn’t even the willingness to try and make good of a difficult situation. The most valuable thing Nancy Deaner gave to me was a sense of ownership and confidence in ministry. As Nancy left at the end of this past June, I was not overwhelmed with the weight of her departure. Instead, I was confident in the knowledge that through the years she had not merely fixed problems, she had been educating and empowering me to fix them myself in the future.

Now that Nancy has been blessed with a well-deserved retirement, I hope she can bask in all the joys this new phase of life has to offer. But I also hope that when she looks back on her long career with the Wisconsin Annual Conference Camp & Retreat Ministry she can look back with that same warm smile I saw when I first met her so many years ago. Thanks for always being there and truly leading, Nancy. I’m thankful for all I learned under your leadership.

Nick Coenen has served as Camp Manager at Pine Lake United Methodist Camp in Westfield, Wisconsin since 2005. He met his wife Jamie at Pine Lake many years ago when she was a lifeguard and he was a volunteer counselor. They live the best life ever at camp with kids Leah, Micah, twins Sarah and Eli, and a new puppy.

I am writing as a retired United Methodist pastor with 47 years’ experience as a pastor and District Superintendent. Since retirement in 2000 I have spent my summers as a full-time volunteer chaplain and “Grandfather In Residence” at our United Methodist camp, Skye Farm Camp & Retreat Center, in Warrensburg, NY. It is out of this experience that I want to share some observations and ideas about The Lonesome Camper.

Skye Farm has a decentralized program emphasis with a series of small cabins, each having 5, 6, or 7 campers. These cabins are located in wooded areas. The wash houses, health lodge, dining hall and various large meeting areas have electricity but the cabins do not, so they are very dark at night. While we do have internet service on the property, we do not allow any electronic devices with the campers or counselors. All this is to say that the experience here is different from what most people live with at home.

In my 15 years here, I have seen very few homesick campers. I define “homesick campers” as those who are so traumatized by the separation that they cannot eat, sleep, concentrate, or participate in any of the communal life of the camp. The anxiety of their separation from home has become an actual medical condition, and they need to be returned to their home as soon as possible. On the other hand, I have seen hundreds of lonesome campers. This is not just a matter of semantics, to distinguish between homesick campers and lonesome campers. Lonesome campers are primarily responding to the pain of grief, and they may do so in a variety of ways. Some become belligerent, some cry, some “show off,” some become sullen. But all are finding ways to respond to the pain of grief.

By identifying them as responding to the pain of grief, we accept the fact that lonesome campers are not sick. They do not have to be healed. They are not unhealthy in any way. We do not have to change them or make sure they get over it, but rather help them to see that they are absolutely normal and healthy to deal with this painful experience of grief.

One of the common mistakes, in my opinion, is to try to “cheer them up” and make them feel better. “O just think, tomorrow we are going on a great hike, or having pancakes for breakfast, or some other exciting news.” We would not try that approach with adults in grief, and I think it is not productive to do it with campers in grief.

When I meet with lonesome campers I encourage them to talk about what they miss the most. I ask them about home, about who they live with. Who are the adults? Do they have any pets? If they can identify the one person they miss the most, then I remind them of how great it is to have such a wonderful Mom, or Dad, or Aunt Sue. What would they like to be saying to them right now if they were present? I remind them that I miss my Mom and I still “talk with her” as a way of helping my memory of her. We share a common story and I can truthfully say that I have some understanding of their feelings.

I try to remember that the camper is grieving and that the pain is present but not of constant intensity. I may remind the camper that at some time they may have fallen and scraped their knee. It hurt and they cried. Eventually they stopped crying, even though the knee still hurt. They have had experiences dealing with pain and getting on with life even with the pain still present. It is the natural way we do things.

I also try to be aware of the fact that a week away from home is a long time for young campers. On Sunday night, the first night here at camp, to talk about being away until Friday evening when parents come to pick them up, is like talking about an eternity. So we take it one segment at a time. Almost all campers have the experience of being away from home for 8 hours a day at school. It is a familiar experience and I try to build on that. “Let’s get through tonight.” I may provide a very low intensity light for the cabin to get rid of that strange darkness. Most campers won’t admit they are afraid of the dark, so I remind them that even I have a night light on at my house when I am not at camp. When morning comes, if we meet again, we will just work to stay until after lunch, etc.

At Skye Farm we do not have phones available for campers to call home. We have limited lines. I may tell a lonesome camper that I will call home and tell the family about how the camper is doing. If I say I will call home, then I do just that, and I will report back to the camper. That way I carry some greetings and also let the camper know that the folks at home are OK. That often is a worry on the minds of campers, especially in a broken home situation.

I have found that by working with lonesome campers as ones who are experiencing an absolutely normal emotion, the pain of grief, helping them remember times they have had other pains and worked through them, and “patching them through” with smaller segments of time, has helped bring them through the week in a positive fashion. Then on Friday at camper pick-up time I do my very best to speak to the parents/guardians with the camper present, and tell them all how proud I am of the way the camper worked his/her way through the experience and how helpful the parents were in this process.

From my personal viewpoint, dealing with a crying child in pain is very difficult and painful for me. What keeps me doing it is the thrill and joy of sharing “the victory” with the family at the end of the week. It is all part of a valuable ministry and I love it.

Art Hagy is an 83-year-old United Methodist pastor presently serving Center Brunswick UMC in Troy, NY. In 2012 he served a year as Interim Director at Skye Farm, and for the past 15 years has spent summers there as a full time summer volunteer chaplain and “Grandfather-in-Residence.”

In our ever-changing world, leaders must continually seek new ways to forge onward and keep our ministries relevant. Together we will be inspired to take our Camp and Retreat Ministries ONWARD! Forward, Further, Beyond. Here’s an inside look at the scriptures that are inspiring our 2015 Gathering:

Tell us about your call into ministry?
I grew up in Southern Illinois in a small church, where sometimes there was a youth group of one. I was born with mouth deformities that caused a speech impediment. I didn’t talk at all in school unless called upon, and kids would laugh at me. But because I was the kid who was most often at youth group, I was the obvious, though reluctant, choice when it came time to elect the president. One of the responsibilities of the youth group president in that little church was that they would be the liturgist when the pastor was gone. When I was a high school senior, Annual conference Sunday came and we had a guest preacher. I got up and read the liturgy, but when I sat back down the sermon I heard was not the sermon everyone else heard. Through that guest pastor God was telling me I needed to go into the ministry. I had very clear college plans to major in Math, with the goal for a career as statistician for the Saint Louis Cardinals. So this would require some significant changes. I told God I needed a sign, and quick. There was a sometimes-homeless guy, Arnie, who came to our church. He sat in the very back pew, came late and left early so he wouldn’t have to interact. That day Arnie was the last one to leave after the service. He walked up to me, shook my hand, and said, “I don’t know why, but I need to tell you one day you’ll be up there preaching.” I said, “Okay, God!”, changed my plans, and followed that call.

I started out serving several churches in Southern Illinois. I experienced a burning need to do youth and camping ministry. I told my superiors about this call, but they seemed not to take me very seriously. I applied for a couple of positions but for a year was always turned down. Then I ran across an article about “How to Write a Resume,” and that’s what really made the difference.

(Laughing) What did you change on your resume?
I was more positive about my abilities, and more specific about what I thought I could offer to camping and youth ministry.

Had you been involved with Camping up until that point?
Oh yes. I grew up going to camp at Little Grassy and Eldorado Beulah Institute. My brother was 10 years older than me. My parents took him and our church youth to Eldorado Institute and toted me along even though I wasn’t old enough to be there. Later I became a youth leader at Little Grassy, and then when I was serving churches I always brought them to camp, led retreats, did a lot of programs at camp.

When a Conference Camping position opened up in North Dakota Conference my bishop granted me permission to apply outside of our annual conference. I was one of the final two candidates, but in the end they went with the North Dakotan and I didn’t get the job. But they saw my gifts and experience, and mentioned that their sister conference in South Dakota (this was before the two merged) was looking for a Director of Camping & Youth Ministries, and offered to recommend me. I ended up serving in South Dakota Conference from 1983-1996. About 6 years in, the two Annual Conferences merged, and I was the only conference staff that didn’t have to reapply for their job. In fact, I was asked to merge the two youth ministries first, to prove that it could be done and kind of pave the way.

I moved into the Conference Camping Director position in Oklahoma in 1996 and have been there ever since.

What significant changes have you seen over the years in this ministry?
Well, the most obvious one is the use of computers. That has really streamlined registration. It used to be that we had multiple handwritten forms with carbon paper. We thought we were really advanced when we started using NCR (no carbon required) paper to make our duplicate copies. I remember carrying my first portable computer, not a laptop, to camp. It was bigger than today’s towers and had a 5-inch-square screen.

Camping curriculum has improved over the years as well. I have written a lot of curriculum here in Oklahoma, and also for the National Council of Churches 5 or 6 times over the years. I learned to write for the novice camp leaders, since they are the ones who really rely on the details of the written curriculum. Once the leaders have more experience then they’re freer to improvise. A good first leadership experience will help those novice people want to come back.

You also served on the National Camp & Retreat Committee, right?
Yes, it maybe was 1992-96. It was a great honor to be chosen; that they thought I had enough knowledge to offer on the national level. Being involved in the national event really helped me improve things back in my own conference, and helped me build relationships with other leaders in camping ministry, and to know people I could call for advice.

The things we’ve been doing with the UMCRM Association recently have been really helpful to those in the trenches. The email network, the mutual support, the weekly newsletter are really valuable. Because I was one of the first ones to go through it, I’ve been asked for advice on conference mergers; and I’ve been glad to offer my help in that way.

Something I’m proud of is that over the course of 32 years I started about 32 new events, some of which are still going on or have even expanded. In the Dakotas I helped start our Tree House Camp in the 80’s. In both places we started offering Sunshine Camp for 1st & 2nd graders, including adult shepherds from the churches. It was a great first experience for the little ones, with just one overnight and a learning centers model. Those programs helped our camper retention rate stay high, as the kids felt comfortable at camp and just kept coming back. We built ropes courses at several sites, tried a lot of new things. Here in Oklahoma we’ve been hosting Camp Cabot, an interdenominational partnership with Children’s Hospital, since about 1998, serving children with terminal and debilitating illnesses. That has grown and multiplied over the years. We even have a Cabot Kids Foundation now for ongoing funding. They’re offering a variety of specialty medical camps at multiple sites; it’s taken on a life of its own. It was the dream of a large, overweight military vet, a rude, ornery person, but he really had a soft spot for kids with challenges. I think he raised so much money because the wealthy people he asked just wanted to get him to go away.

Describe your greatest blessings in this work.
Few people have touched the number of lives with the word and love of God as I have been able to do through camping. When you host 20 thousand people every year, that adds up to making a difference in a lot of lives. I just enjoy seeing God work in the lives of the campers and leaders who come. One fine example is Josh Pulver who is now the Director at Camp Egan. He started out as a camper, then served on the conference youth council, then summer camp staff. It was a blessing to hire him as a friend and co-worker.

What are some important things you've learned that you would like to pass along to other camp & retreat leaders?
Flexibility. You can have everything planned out, and something’s going to happen. I had to overcome lots of things. One year we had a flood and the camp road was under water (literally!) 40 days and 40 nights. We had to move events to other sites, stack multiple events, take a hit financially. At the end of that summer another site, Canyon Camp, flooded, and there was a foot or two of water in the cabins. You have to be flexible to handle whatever life throws at you. We always made it through.

Keep ministry in mind first, even in the midst of broken water pipes, cleaning toilets. Even the little things are part of doing the ministry, and every person is a part of it. Always care about the campers, they’re the reason you do it.

One of the things camps bring to the church is a sense of fun. Our Annual Conference moved to video reports rather than people so they could better manage the time limitations. I got tired of videos of talking heads, so we started doing funny, creative videos. One year we struggled with a frozen pipe that burst in one of the lodges and required major repairs; that same your we also had an extremely hot summer with 45 straight days over 100 degrees, then a flood at another of our sites. In our video that year I started out with 3 coats on, shivering; in the next scene I was dripping with water, then we went to the canoe with a paddle.

Another time we did the “OK UM Camp Show,” like the Tonight Show. We interviewed campers, did the Carnac the Magnificent thing (like the Johnny Carson sketch), with a big hat and an envelope with question that they would answer with facts about the camps. This year we did a zombie theme, about how they were changed into real people because of the love of God at camp. It’s on our website: Don't let your kids suffer from "Boredus Homealonus Zombietus this summer! Watch this video for the solution to this problem. 

I understand that you’re headed for parish ministry now. Tell us about how the Lord is leading you in the next phase of your journey.
When I followed the call into camps in South Dakota, I told God, “I will do this as long as I am making a difference, and should this become long-term, I would like to end the way I’m starting, in the local church.” As I turn 60 I realize I need to make that transition soon so I’ll have time to make a difference in the local church. I have been appointed Pastor at Lakeside UMC in Oklahoma City, which is great because we can stay in our home, and my wife will remain Head Counselor at Capitol Hill High School.

I’m looking forward to relationships evolving in the local church, having the same people to serve each week. This will be my first summer “off” in 32 years, so I’m looking forward to Fathers’ Day and my birthday, July 7th, at home.

I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Camps have helped me through tough times, divorce and remarriage, blended families, my wife Rhonda’s military deployments to Bosnia and Iraq when I took care of the kids and brought them with me to camp. I am really grateful for my years in camp ministry.